Chapter 9:
Long shadows were thrown against the side of the pipe as the party of three continued walking besides the river of filth. The pit pat of rain echoed from above and small waterfalls pooled from the grates, mixing with whatever was flowing below. At this point, Arthur was somewhat thankful for cover from the harsh rain. If only this star forsaken place didn't smell like rat droppings. The horrid stench that lingered throughout all corners constantly filled the older cat's nose, preventing him from scenting anything else. Alfred and Matthew barely seemed to notice.
Alfred was caught up in some new fantasy, dragging Matthew along as per usual.
"Come on, Matthew! These wild caves aren't going to explore themselves!" the ginger splotched adolescent pelted past Arthur with his cream brother right on his tail.
"W-wild caves?" Matthew's voice quivered with fear. "That sounds really scary! I don't want to play in scary caves." Arthur stopped and turned to his brother with a frustrated sigh.
"Alright, we'll play something else." The young tom thought for a second while Matthew caught his breath, already spent from the burst of activity.
"I know!" Alfred's eyes lit with excitement. "We'll be brave warrior cats who are out to concur the wilderness; like in the stories!" Matthew's eyes glowed with wonder.
"Ooh, warrior cats."
"Yeah, exactly! Let's see… I'll be… Oh oh! I'll be FoxTrapper! Explorer of jungles who can beat a fox with just one paw!" Alfred dropped to a crouch during his explanation, pretending to stalk the long, furry tails foxes where known to have.
"Hey!" Matthew exclaimed. "Why do you get to be the strongest warrior?"
Alfred groaned.
"Matthew, I made the game, I get to be FoxTrapper!"
"But he's the best one!"
"So? I still thought of it first!"
"Well then I'm just going to sit here and stop playing with you!" With a fed up humph, Matthew plopped down on his rear, nose turned up in the air at his brother. Alfred slapped a paw across his face. For being known as the sensible one, his brother could be very stubborn when he wanted to.
"FoxTrapper isn't the only good one." Matthew gave him a look.
"No, really! You can be…" Alfred scanned the area for something, eyes landing on the murky river.
"You can be TroutSnapper!" Matthew's ears perked up in interest.
"TroutSnapper was a powerful swimmer, who swam through the deepest rivers, and caught a trout by claw that was bigger than a Nofur den!"
"Wow…" Matthew trailed off, imagination captured by the escapades of TroutSnapper. But he would not give his brother the satisfaction of winning.
"Okay." He tried to act like the whole thing was above him. "I'll be TroutSnapper."
Alfred giggled in happiness, cuffing his brother over the ear as he took off down the tunnel again.
"Come on, TroutSnapper! There's so much to see!"
Matthew mewed in laughter in response and pelted after his brother. Arthur sighed at their antics, glad that they had found something to take their minds off the traumatic situation.
That leaves me with the task of figuring out how to get out of here. Or if we can't, what do we do about food?
Nothing in the immediate area seemed edible, and there was no prey scent detectable under the pipes' foul stench. There was no spot that looked comfortable enough to sleep in. Not to mention all the possible openings were blocked off and too far above them to reach. That left Arthur with absolutely zip to work with.
Gah! What do I do, what do I do?
Arthur's paws itched and worry clawed at his belly as anxiety built in his gut. He whipped his head from side to side, struggling to think. His gaze was drawn to Alfred and Matthew, frolicking by the river side a few tail lengths ahead. The young toms remained oblivious to the danger they were in both earlier and now, but soon they would be hungry, and tired and cold. They were not safe here. They needed to find some exit soon.
Oh, some cat! Show me the way! He wailed desperately inside his head.
Matthew took a break from following Alfred's adventure plan, distracted by his older brother's pacing. His claws clicked across the hard floor, unsheathed in frustration, and he growled each time he scanned the roof above. Something was bothering him, though Matthew was unsure of what.
The cream tom's fur felt warm, and his gazed shifted to the part of the tunnel that stretched ahead. A strange blue light was catching on his long and fluffy pelt, flickering and shifting across his body. The light grew brighter, and lifting his head, Matthew saw more spots of light dotting the stone ahead of him. Matthew turned towards the ceiling above. Through the grated openings, the rain clouds from earlier had parted, and the stars burned bright and cold, their rays filtering through and into the tunnels. The spots of light on the floor were broken by shadows cast from the bars, and with their added shifting and waving, they oddly looked like large, shiny paw prints.
Something sparked in Matthew's eyes, a flicker of recognition hidden deep within, somewhere he did not remember. An invisible force tugged on his paws, urging him forward. This was important. They had to go this way. He had no idea why, but Matthew knew he needed to listen to the stars. His mind zoned as the desire to move forward grew stronger. He gingerly reached out a paw towards the first blue print, ready to take a step, before a flash of cream and ginger fur rammed right into his side, toppling Matthew over as Alfred bolted past towards Arthur.
Matthew shook his head before looking back towards the tunnel. The paw prints were gone, and so was that weird pulling in his chest. Shaking his head and putting his confusion out of his mind, the young cat stood and followed slowly after his more excited brother.
"Arthur! Arthur!" Alfred bounced up and down on his fuzzy little paws, trying to get his brother's attention.
"Gah. What? What?" The older tom hissed in agitation as Alfred's fluffy form flew in and out of his view.
"You should play with us!" Alfred dropped to the floor, wiggling his tail in anticipation. Arthur groaned.
"How many times do I have to tell you-"
"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" his brother interrupted. "Just this once? Matthew wants you to play, too. Right, Matthew?"
Bright blue eyes met purple as the youngest brother padded over to them. He and Alfred exchanged a look. The young tom was absolutely begging him to help. Matthew figured Alfred was getting worried; the dark and bleak surroundings finally affecting the adventurer, so he wanted to be close to his brother. Though there was no way he would admit that. Sighing, Matthew decided to through Alfred a bone this once.
"Yes, please, Arthur! I'd love to play with you! We do it so little!"
Now both kits were gathered around his paws, staring intently at him, little eyes sparkling with emotion. Oh how Arthur tried to resist, but it was no use, the ginger tom admitted defeat.
"Fine, I'll play."
Alfred howled in joy and spun in a circle several times, making a quick lap around the other two to expend excess energy.
"And I know the perfect warrior! The great… the powerful… BadgerTamer!"
"BadgerTamer?" Arthur asked, clearly exasperated. "What the heck is that?"
Alfred's dance of joy ceased at his brother's words, rounding on him with a look of disbelief.
"You don't remember?"
"Remember what?"
"The stories! Mother always told us stories in the nest before she…" He trailed off, looking towards the ground in sadness. A pang stabbed Arthur's heart in pity for the small cat. But with a shake of his fur, Alfred was right back to himself.
"I expected this from Matthew, he wasn't around much to hear them, but you? I still remember each and every one she told me about!" Alfred bounded up a nearby pile of random clutter, crouching at the top in a hunting pose, long shadow thrown against the back wall.
"Long ago," he began in a deep voice, trying to imitate some wise old story teller. "Deep in the woods, a fearsome badger, bigger than any other before it, terrorized the forest cats. He would kill any who approached his home, slaughter any that got in his way, and sometimes roamed in search of cats to murder… for fun!" At the last part, Matthew yelped, and ran behind Arthur's legs, shaking like a leaf.
"Until one day, a new cat came to the forest. He was a huge cat, black and white pelt shining in the light, and with a voice that commanded instant respect, he said; 'I'll take care of your badger! When I'm finished, you'll wonder what had you scared in the first place!' And so the brave tom approached his den, and sure enough, the beast rose from the set, claws flashing, fangs gleaming, and roared a terrible roar as he charged at the cat. But just as it reached him, the cat sucked in a huge breath of air… and roared like a lion, right in his face! Trees bent in the wind of his outburst, birds ten starlengths away were startled from their perches, and the badger practically had his fur blown off.
"As the powerful call died in the wind, that formerly huge badger sat crouched on the hard, cold ground, shivering and averting his eyes. With the color of his pelt, and the huge roar, the badger acknowledged the cat as one of his own. And not just any other badger, but a badger even stronger than he was. So he surrendered to the cat, begging for him to spare his life. The cat said; 'I will spare you on one condition: follow me across this world for as long as I travel, and serve me in all I do.' The badger agreed immediately, and became his faithful servant. And the cat was soon dubbed BadgerTamer, after his skill at bending the beast to his will."
Alfred climbed down as he finished his story, coming to a stop in front of Arthur.
"That's why it's perfect for you; you make everyone respect you, where ever you go."
Arthur's pelt heated in embarrassment, surprised at the usually difficult kit's sudden praise. Alfred smiled up at him, showing that he was sincere.
"W-well, thank you Alfred." Arthur licked his chest fur. "Alright, I'll play."
Alfred cheered and ran off, Matthew keeping pace as Arthur followed behind.
"I've never heard you say stuff like that, Alfred. That was very nice of you."
"Oh, that?" He sounded distracted. "Yep, yep! Totally true." The tom snickered, and Matthew felt suspicion grow in his pelt.
"Wait, did you just say that to get him to play with us?" Alfred just laughed.
Matthew would have given him a stern talking to, but it was nice to have Arthur playing with them again, so he just rolled his eyes as the trio pelted down the tunnels, racing within their imaginary world.
Arthur panted heavily as his weary limbs began to slow down. Coming to a stop, the ginger tom collapsed to the floor in a mess of huffing and wheezing as Alfred and Matthew skidded in front of him. Matthew appeared slightly concerned, but Alfred just looked annoyed.
"What's wrong, BadgerTamer? Why'd you stop? We were right on those foxes' trail!" His tail fur fluffed with the excitement of the pretend chase. Arthur shifted to rest his head on his forepaws.
"Oh… BadgerTamer's just tired…"
"Tired?!" The young tom cried in disbelief. "Warriors don't get tired! They all have amazing stamina that lets them travel the world!"
"Well BadgerTamer seems to have run out!" Arthur snapped at him, patience wearing thin.
"Why don't you and Matt- or… TroutSnapper go… scout the area or something? The foxes can't have gotten far… BadgerTamer needs to catch his breath."
"Alright!" Alfred's previous anger forgotten. "I, the great FoxTrapper, shall find those weaselly beasts!" And the two kits raced farther ahead.
Arthur closed his eyes slightly, hoping to get a bit of shut eye. It had to have been well into the night by now, darkness only could be seen from within the pipes. He still had no idea how Alfred and Matthew could continue to have this much energy late into the moon's travels. Perhaps fright from their previous escape still flooded through their veins, preventing weariness from taking hold. Farther off, the two brothers settled next to a curve in the river, where the murky water split from the main path into a smaller channel sliding off into a third passageway.
Their reflections were barely visible in the muck, with muted and ever shifting colors and shapes. Matthew's bright purple eyes still glowed across the brown-green surface. An idea popped into Alfred's head.
"Hey, TroutSnapper!"
"What?" his brother questioned, gaze still entranced by the strange liquid. It gave Matthew an odd feeling, and set his tail fur tingling, though the shaking limb went unnoticed by both.
"I bet this would be a great place to fish!"
"What?!" His brother yelled in disbelief. Fishing here would require physical contact with the water… and whatever strange things lurked below.
"You want me to stick my paw in… in that?!" he pointed towards the churning substance.
"Yeah. And?"
"Well that's… that's crazy! Who knows what could be down there? And I don't know how to fish anyway!"
"Matthew, Matthew! Relax! You're TroutSnapper, right? Fishing runs through your veins! And besides, when did any fish cause trouble for him? You'll be able to do it!"
Matthew still looked unsure.
"Oh, come on!" Alfred cried. "Just do it this once! For the game, pleeeeeeease?"
Matthew thought for a moment. The water still gave him chills, but the last thing he wanted to do was back down, to be called weak by his brother, as so many had in his short lifetime.
"… Alright. But you have to cover me. That means catching me if I fall in or if… something… grabs me."
"Okay, okay! I got it! Just do it!"
The cream tom craned his head over the edge, slowly inching his head closer towards the water.
Farther off, Arthur lifted his head, turning his forest green eyes towards his brothers. He sighed contently as he watched, a strange peace settling over the area. They may be stuck now, but they were alright. Perhaps things would turn out okay.
A deep rumble stirred the sensitive hairs along the inside of his ear. Arthur twitched and shifted his hearing, searching in confusion. What was that? The rumble sounded again, louder than before, sending waves slightly shifting the pipe below.
The sound rippled water, and Matthew snapped his head up.
"Alfred!"
"What?" the tom shouted back, startled by the sudden outburst.
"Stop trying to disrupt me!"
"How on earth am I disrupting you?"
"By making that growling right in my ear!"
"What growl-"
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
A thunderous gurgle echoed through the pipes, bouncing around and filling their ears to the brim with sound. The young toms flattened themselves to the floor, ears flat, Matthew's tail shaking rapidly, like it was about to fall off. That was not Alfred. Arthur leapt into action, standing protectively over his brothers and waited for the quaking to pass.
"Wh- what was that?" Alfred squeaked from the floor.
Another, almost indistinguishable sound reached Arthur's ears, a shifting and sloshing that turned his blood to ice.
"We have to run."
"What?" The kits asked from below, unsure if they heard him. The sloshing, though still quiet, was growing.
"We have to run!"
With a shove, he pushed them into the pipe that branched from their current path, guiding them down random turns that led as far away from the noise as he could tell.
"Wh- what's wrong?" Matthew asked as they ran.
A rock settled in Arthur's stomach. He wanted so much to be wrong… To think that the rain had affected nothing. But he knew that was a lie. With the extensive pelting from above that lasted most of the night, the huge water falls raining down, the confined nature of these tunnels, he should have known better.
"The tunnels… they're-"
Thoughts were cut short as the group took another sharp turn, only to be met with chest deepgreen water.
"Flooding!" Matthew finished his thought as the cream tom leapt a whole tail length into the air, fur fluffed in fright, and pelted in the other direction, stinking water leaving a trail in his wake.
The other brothers followed, racing at incredible speeds to keep up. They were headed back the way they came. Arthur expected it was a bad idea, but it was the only way back out, back to where the tunnels split. As they rounded the corner, they saw Matthew, frozen with eyes caught at the distance. Arthur did not have to question what he saw. It was clear as day. The water was coming.
A huge wave washed round the bend, sloshing and crashing against the side, turning in their direction. The wave roared, filling the distant pipe and reaching foamy claws out to grab and pull them under. With a shout of fear and desperation, the group turned and rain down a new tunnel as fast as possible.
The sound of the cursed water faded slightly behind them, and as they left them in the distance, Arthur slowed down, gasping for air. He knew it would be upon them soon, but the ginger cat could not bring himself to run any farther. There was no escape route, and no end to the tunnels in sight.
"Arthur?"
He turned and saw Alfred crouched beside him, eyes wide and scared witless. He knew without being told what he was asking. Were they going to die?
Arthur had no answer. He had no options, no plan. Only shame that he had failed his brothers, brought them so far, only to be swept away under the earth, with no one to notice or mourn. Instead of speaking, he pulled Alfred close, trying to offer a last bit of comfort before the inevitable. Alfred buried his head in Arthur's chest, whimpering and sobbing.
I'm sorry, mother.